Sandwiched between Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, China and Myanmar, Laos is the country that travellers to South-East Asia most often save for later, and then, almost universally, wish they had visited sooner. It is the quietest country in a busy region. It has no coastline, no beach resorts, no package-holiday crowds. What it has instead is something far harder to manufacture. Laos has authenticity, and a stillness that gives you the feeling that you have arrived somewhere that wasn’t expecting you, but is pleasantly welcoming anyway.
Saffron-robed monks pad through streets that French colonists once walked. Golden statues catch the light above the Mekong. In the mountain valleys of the north, remote hill tribes maintain ways of life that have changed little over centuries, their villages a world apart from the cities of Laos’s neighbours. This is a country that moves at its own pace, and that pace happens to be wonderfully slow.
November to April is when Laos is at its most inviting: the dry season brings clear skies, comfortable temperatures and roads open throughout the country, making it the ideal window to explore everything from the ancient royal capital of Luang Prabang to the river islands of the far south. Not sure where to start in Laos? These are my top ten places that deserve to be at the top of any Laos holiday itinerary.
| Summary: Join us on a tour through the incredible country of Laos, at the heart of South-East Asia. Our travel experts have selected their Top 10 places to visit in Laos to help you plan your next holiday. (Edited May 2026) |
Few places in Asia cast a spell quite like Luang Prabang. Set at the confluence of the Mekong and Nam Khan rivers in northern Laos, this remarkably preserved city holds UNESCO World Heritage status and it is easy to see why. The streets are lined with golden-spired temples, crumbling French colonial villas and bougainvillea-draped guesthouses, all wrapped in an atmosphere that feels genuinely unlike anywhere else.
The early-morning almsgiving ceremony, known as Tak Bat, is not to be missed: lines of barefoot monks file silently through the streets at around 5am, collecting offerings of sticky rice from local residents in a ritual that has continued for centuries. A deeply moving sight. The city’s 34 temples reward exploration at any hour, from the gilded grandeur of Wat Xieng Thong to the hilltop panoramas from Phou Si.
Day trips from Luang Prabang are exceptional. The Pak Ou Caves, reached by a scenic boat ride along the Mekong, are packed floor to ceiling with thousands of Buddha statues left as offerings over the generations, a profoundly moving experience. Then there are the Kuang Si Waterfalls, a series of cascading turquoise pools fringed by jungle, around 30 kilometres from the city. Visitors can swim in the pools, walk forest trails and visit the adjacent clouded leopard rescue centre. It is the kind of place people find themselves lingering longer than planned.
Travel Tip: Plan for at least three to four nights in Luang Prabang to do it proper justice.
Capital cities in South East Asia often overwhelm. Vientiane does the opposite. With all the peaceful charm of a provincial town, it moves at a pace that most visitors find instantly refreshing, and it is a world away from the hysterical frenzy of most major capitals in the region. Wide boulevards, faded French architecture, riverside cafés, and Buddhist temples are all stitched together by a distinct sense of calm.
Wat Si Saket is the oldest surviving temple in Vientiane, its cloister walls lined with thousands of tiny Buddha niches. Close by, Pha That Luang is the national symbol of Laos: a towering golden stupa said to contain a relic of Buddha, and quite spectacular when it catches the afternoon sun. Other temples worth seeking out include Wat Haw Pha Kaeo, Wat Si Muang and Wat Ong Teu, each offering something a little different in terms of sacred art and Lao Buddhist sculpture.
Come evening, the riverside comes into its own. French-inspired cafés serving croissants, baguettes and proper coffee are a delightful colonial legacy that sets Vientiane apart, and the night market is a fine way to round off the day.
Travel Tip: Two or three nights here gives a real flavour of the place, though those short on time can cover the highlights on a one-day city tour.
Vang Vieng has had quite the transformation. Once notorious as a backpacker escape, it has reinvented itself into one of Laos’ most exciting destinations for adventure travel, without entirely losing its easy-going spirit. Set in a dramatic karst landscape along the Nam Song River, with limestone peaks rising sharply from rice paddies, and the countryside stretching out in every direction, it is undeniably beautiful.
Tubing on the Nam Song River is the signature activity, where visitors drift downstream on inflated rubber rings, taking in the scenery at whatever pace suits them. But Vang Vieng is far more than a floating afternoon out. The area has three stunning blue lagoons; natural swimming holes of an almost improbable turquoise colour, set within jungle-covered hillsides and reached by rope swings and ziplines.
Hikers are well catered for too. The climb to Nam Xay viewpoint rewards with sweeping panoramas across the valley, while Pha Ngern viewpoint is particularly popular at sunrise and offers one of the most photographed views in Laos.
Travel Tip: Beyond the thrills, the surrounding countryside is a patchwork of rural villages and terraced rice paddies, ideal for exploring by bicycle or motorbike.
Holidays to Laos with Freedom Destinations
The gateway to southern Laos, Pakse sits at the confluence of the Mekong and Xe Don rivers and makes an excellent base for exploring the region. It is a relaxed, walkable town with a distinct French colonial character, and one that rewards those willing to slow down and look around.
Boat trips along the Mekong offer a wonderful way to absorb the river’s scale and the life that unfolds along its banks, including fishing villages, floating gardens, and the occasional water buffalo cooling off at the water’s edge. Wat Phou Salao, perched on a hill above the city, with a large golden Buddha looking out over the river, is well worth the climb for the views alone.
The Bolaven Plateau, around 50 kilometres from Pakse at 1,250 metres above sea level, is one of southern Laos’s great highlights. Famous for its cool climate, thundering waterfalls and coffee plantations, it is home to some of the most spectacular scenery in the country. Tad Fane and Tad Yuang are among the most dramatic falls, plunging into deep jungle gorges of remarkable lushness. Back in Pakse, the Daoheuang Market is a brilliant snapshot of local life with an enormous covered market selling fresh produce, spices, textiles and street food.
Travel Tip: Pakse also serves as a handy jumping-off point for both the Bolaven Plateau and the 4000 Islands further south.
Si Phan Don means ‘Four Thousand Islands’ in Lao, and the name is not much of an exaggeration. In the far south of the country, where the Mekong broadens dramatically, thousands of islands, islets and sandbars emerge during the dry season to create one of the most idyllic and time-forgotten landscapes in the whole of South East Asia.
The main islands each have their own character. Don Khong is the most peaceful, with its palm-lined banks perfect for a gentle bike ride from village to village through the rice fields. Don Det is more modest in its comforts but all the more authentic for it, with small market stalls, basic bungalows and a pace of life that suggests the rest of the world has simply agreed to leave it alone. Don Khone, connected to Don Det by a bridge that once carried the only railway line in Laos, is another dream setting for walking and cycling, with the roaring Khone Phapheng falls, the largest waterfall by volume in South East Asia, nearby.
Travel Tip: Si Phan Don also holds one particularly special not-to-be-missed activity; the chance to spot the Irrawaddy dolphin. A small pod of these critically endangered freshwater dolphins currently lives in the stretch of river near Don Khone. With numbers estimated at fewer than fifteen individuals, you should only use responsible boat trips to see them, led by local guides. If you are successful in seeing them, then they are among the most moving wildlife encounters in Laos; all the more precious given how precarious the population is.
One of South East Asia’s most puzzling and fascinating archaeological sites, the Plain of Jars sits on the plateau of Xieng Khouang in central Laos. Scattered across rolling meadows and gentle hillsides are thousands of large stone jars, some standing alone, others gathered in clusters, the largest weighing several tonnes. Nobody knows for certain what they were used for.
Theories range from funerary urns to ancient storage vessels for monsoon water, and one popular local legend claims they were used for whisky. The most widely accepted view is that they date back around 2,000 years and are connected to Iron Age burial practices. Whatever their purpose, the jars have a quietly striking quality, especially at dawn or dusk when the light plays across the weathered stone and the plateau stretches silently in every direction. The site received UNESCO World Heritage status in 2019.
Travel Tip: Visitors should be aware that Xieng Khouang was one of the most heavily bombed areas in the world during the Secret War of 1964 to 1973, when Laos became the most heavily bombed country per capita in history. Unexploded ordnance remains a concern in the region. Therefore, visitors should always stay on designated trails and follow the advice of local guides. For those wishing to understand this history more fully, the COPE Visitor Centre in Vientiane tells the story with great care and is well worth a visit before or after.
For travellers with a love of the outdoors and an interest in responsible tourism, Luang Namtha in northern Laos is hard to beat. The provincial capital of Nam Tha Province sits close to the Chinese and Myanmar borders, surrounded by dense rainforest, river valleys and the villages of native communities. It is the premier eco-tourism destination in the country.
The Nam Ha Ecotourism Project, one of the most successful community-based tourism initiatives in South East Asia, offers guided treks into the Nam Ha National Protected Area. These trips are led by local guides from communities who receive a direct share of the revenue, ensuring that visitor spending benefits the people who call this forest home. Activities range from single-day nature walks to week-long jungle treks, with kayaking and rafting on the Nam Tha River adding a different dimension to the adventure.
Travel Tip: Along the way, trekkers may pass through the villages of the Akha, Khmu or Tai Lue. The people, culture, traditions, dress, and architecture of these villages is entirely distinct from lowland Laos.
A quiet riverside town on the western bank of the Mekong in southern Laos, Champasak moves at its own unhurried pace. Wooden houses line unpaved streets, French colonial buildings stand among the palms, and the river passes with quiet grandeur. Most visitors pass through on their way to Wat Phu, and that is entirely understandable, although those who linger are generally glad they did.
Wat Phu is an extraordinary place. This 11th to 13th century Khmer temple complex, a contemporary of Cambodia’s Angkor Wat, climbs the lower slopes of Phou Kao mountain in a series of terraced sanctuaries, galleries and ceremonial pathways. A temple on the site was first built around the 5th century, initially dedicated to the Hindu religion before later becoming a Buddhist site. Among the surviving sculptures are dedications to Indra riding a three-headed elephant and Vishnu atop a Garuda, a mythical eagle-like creature. At the summit, a crumbling stone sanctuary looks out across a vast plain of rice fields with the Mekong glinting in the distance.
Travel Tip: Wat Phu was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2001 and receives only a fraction of the visitors that Angkor draws. The comparative quiet, exploring ancient Khmer ruins with almost no one else around, is a genuinely rare experience.
Off the main tourist trail, the forested province of Sainyabuli in northwest Laos has one draw that puts it firmly on the list for wildlife lovers: elephants. Laos was once known as ‘the land of a million elephants’, a title that speaks to a long history of living alongside these animals, even as their numbers have dwindled dramatically in recent decades.
The Elephant Conservation Centre at Sainyabuli is one of the most respected elephant sanctuaries in South East Asia, and a world away from the exploitative elephant camps of the past. Here, elephants are not ridden or made to perform. Instead, visitors observe them in their natural forest environment, learn about their behaviour, the conservation challenges they face, and watch mahouts care for their animals in a relationship built on generations of trust.
Overnight stays at the forest lodge allow visitors to experience the centre across multiple days: waking to the sounds of the jungle, following elephants through the trees, and swimming in the river alongside them on the elephants’ terms. Proceeds from visits go directly towards the centre’s breeding programme and veterinary care.
Travel Tip: Advance booking for the Elephant Conservation Centre is essential, as capacity is sensibly limited, and places fill quickly, particularly during peak season.
Few places in Laos carry as much historical weight as Vieng Xai. This remote town in the northeast of the country sits in a limestone karst valley of striking natural beauty, but its caves tell a story that is altogether more extraordinary than the scenery alone.
During the Secret War of 1964 to 1973, the Pathet Lao leadership retreated into the extensive cave systems around Vieng Xai to survive. For nearly a decade, an estimated 23,000 people lived and governed from within these caves, holding political meetings, operating hospitals, printing newspapers, and staging theatrical performances, all underground and largely out of sight of the outside world.
Today, guided tours of the Vieng Xai caves bring this remarkable and little-known history to life. The audio tour is well-produced and narrated with genuine care, leading visitors through caves used by key Pathet Lao leaders including Prince Souphanouvong. The caves themselves are dramatic and their history is quite humbling.
Travel Tip: Vieng Xai is typically reached via Sam Neua, the provincial capital of Houaphan Province and the journey through the spectacular mountain scenery is very much part of the experience, and worth factoring into any travel itinerary.
From the temples of Luang Prabang to the cave history of Vieng Xai, from the river islands of Si Phan Don to the elephant forests of Sainyabuli, Laos is a country that rewards the curious traveller in ways that stay with you long after returning home.
A trip to Laos is often combined with one of its neighbouring countries, and the contrast between Vietnam, Thailand or Cambodia and this quieter, less-trodden land only makes the combination richer. Some of Freedom Destinations most popular multi-country itineraries include Laos and Vietnam, Sights of Cambodia and Laos, and Laos Highlights with Thai Beaches.
Freedom Destinations specialises in tailor-made holidays to Laos, built around the places and experiences that matter most. Get in touch with our Asia Travel Experts to start planning your holiday to Laos.
Richard is the Content Manager at Freedom Destinations and has more than 25 years of experience working within the travel industry. He has travelled widely in Europe, the USA & Canada, Australia & New Zealand, South East Asia, as well as Southern Africa. He enjoys exploring National Parks and other wilderness areas.
